Former Labour Member of the Greater London Assembly

The Shamima Begum saga – a contrast

While Bangladeshis around the world were spending time to commemorate Language Martyrs Day on the 21st of February, we saw the UK consumed with whether Shamima Begum should be permitted back into the UK or not. It is a day we pay homage to those who fought for the Bengali language in 1952 and onwards to be the state language for East Pakistan and since liberation of Bangladesh ( land of Bengali’s) has become a national holiday there and internationally recognised by UNESCO as International Mother Tongue Day.

So it is a pity Shamima Begum freely admits this does not know Bengali and that she has not visited Bangladesh. As she would have appreciated through such exchanges how the formation of Bangladesh 🇧🇩 in its war of liberation in 1971 was a rejection of the colonial “two nations” theory at 1947. That is the rejection of a religious state let alone a caliphate. She would have certainly had relatives like her grand parents who would have around in those momentous times leading up to the liberation.

Jihadists should also appreciate that when coming back in itself is an admission that the war to end all wars and the last days has not and not going to happen. Such an public admission should be one of many conditions of coming back into UK.

And finally stripping Shamima Begum of BRITISH citizenship don’t half help Sajid Javid leadership credentials to replace Theresa May as leader of Tories & PM. So watch this space as this runs and runs.